


fries and a shake

by SmoshArrowverseFan



Series: diet soda society (a total drama high school au) [1]
Category: Total Drama (Cartoon)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, But it's summer, Gen, and this series is gonna be set in high school, kind of?? it's the summer before trent and cody's senior year and mike's junior year, obviously, they're not in school yet
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-15
Updated: 2020-07-15
Packaged: 2021-03-04 20:55:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,271
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25272793
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SmoshArrowverseFan/pseuds/SmoshArrowverseFan
Summary: Trent takes a late night walk and ends up making a new friend.
Relationships: Cody Anderson & Trent, Trent & Mike (Total Drama)
Series: diet soda society (a total drama high school au) [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1830973
Comments: 6
Kudos: 11





	fries and a shake

**Author's Note:**

> felt like shit so i wanted to write some hurt/comfort of my favorite shitty canadian cartoon but it turned into just. slice of life friendship. this cured my months-long writers block. shoutout to my friend josie who knows nothing abt total drama for reading over this. hope u all enjoy <3
> 
> also heads up they do end up at a diner so there's discussion of food here, if that's something u're sensitive to.

It was the kind of hot and humid midsummer night where the air sticks to your skin, and Trent was walking briskly through his now-quiet neighborhood. He hated the heat, but he needed to clear his mind, and in an emotional haze, he'd decided that the best choice at the moment was a walk. He'd impulsively snuck past his dad's room, pulled on his coat, and out the door before he could think better of it. He'd immediately regretted the coat and tied it around his waist, but he wasn't about to go back inside now. He'd just end up back in bed, thoughts spiraling again. Bad feelings were always the worst at night, and he'd been having more bad nights lately than he had in a long while. Trent was always good at compartmentalizing, until he wasn't.

His earbuds were in, blasting a song that reminded him of the ocean, and if he closed his eyes, he could almost imagine that he was right there. Still, he knew that when he opened them, he'd remain in suburban purgatory. He sighed, running a hand through his hair. It was getting pretty long. He could practically hear his dad telling him to cut it, and his jaw clenched. Fuck his dad. He'd grow it out to his waist if he wanted to, although that did sound like a hassle to maintain. But he didn't feel like cutting it yet.

Trent didn't realize that he was walking toward Manny's Diner until he was standing outside. He considered walking by, but he was kind of in the mood for comfort food, and his wallet was still in the pocket of the coat he'd brought with him, so he could pay. He paused his music and pulled out his earbuds, walking into the diner.

Some 90's pop was playing quietly over the speakers, and there was a kid leaning up against the counter when he walked in, clearly zoned out. He was wearing a red t-shirt over a striped shirt, and Trent found himself wondering how he wasn't sweating from wearing multiple layers in this kind of heat. The bell above the door jingled, announcing Trent's presence and the kid jumped slightly, snapped out of his thoughts. He straightened up and shot Trent a sheepish smile.

"Sorry about that. I'm not really used to people coming in this late," The kid said, rubbing the back of his neck absentmindedly.

Trent grinned easily. "No worries, man. It is pretty late."

The guy laughed, sounding a little bit nervous. "Yeah. Um, anyway, can I get anything for you? Something to drink? Or do you need a menu?" Trent shook his head.

"No, I've come here enough times that I've pretty much got the menu memorized," He frowned. "I've never seen you here before, though. Are you new?"

The kid behind the counter nodded. "You got me. I moved in with my aunt this summer, and I wanted some cash, so I'm working at her diner. Plus, there's the added bonus of learning how to cook," He grinned. Trent raised an eyebrow. Manny was pretty notorious around town for being both a welcoming presence, and the owner of the best diner for miles. Trent would argue that this place was the best restaurant in town. He remembered her mentioning a nephew a couple of times, and he'd always been a little jealous of the kid. His aunt was boring, and had never liked Trent, always scolding him for talking out of turn or "getting underfoot". In comparison, Manny had sat with him after a disastrous first day of middle school, and even gave him a huge sundae that wasn't on the menu free of charge to cheer him up.

"Manny's your aunt?" He asked.

The kid nodded again. "Yep!"

Trent grinned at his enthusiasm. He clearly cared about his aunt, and rightfully so. Although, it was kind of impossible to dislike Manny. Even _Heather_ liked Manny, and Heather didn't like anyone. "I bet she's a fun aunt."

"She definitely is," The conversation lulled for a moment before the kid's eyes widened slightly in realization. "Oh my gosh, I just realized I didn't introduce myself! Sorry about that. I'm Mike."

Trent grinned. Mike struck him as a bit of a nervous guy, and eager to please. Trent got that. He'd been the same way up until he really hit his groove in freshman year. "Again, it's all good. I mean, I didn't introduce myself either. I'm Trent."

Mike leaned on the counter again. "Well, it's nice meeting you, Trent. I haven't gotten the chance to really talk to people here yet, what with me working most of the time, and uh... other stuff," He paused, fiddling with a bracelet on his wrist. "But, uh, if other people are as friendly as you, I'm looking forward to being here."

Trent got the feeling that Mike hadn't had too many friends back home. Again, that was something Trent could understand. Middle school had been... rocky, to say the least. Trent decided that he was going to do his best to make him feel welcome. "Aw, thanks man. I can't speak for everyone, but I do have some really solid friends here. You seem like a good guy, so I'm sure you'll make your own friends pretty quick. And hey, you've got at least one already."

Mike grinned sheepishly at that. "I hope so," He paused another moment, before sitting upright again. "Sorry about that, I haven't even let you order yet. I mean, I kind of started, but then we had this whole conversation and I nearly forgot. Can I get you anything?"

"You're good, dude, it's been nice talking with you. And I'll just have... a black and white shake and an order of fries, if that's alright."

Mike nodded, giving Trent a mock-salute. "On it!" He said, before hurrying back into the kitchen. Trent sighed, taking a seat in one of the booths. He was much more at ease now. Talking with Mike had really helped lift his spirits. It wasn't often that he got to meet someone new. Wawanakwa was a pretty small town, after all.

Trent pulled out his phone and scrolled through instagram, liking a few posts. He was mostly following bands and artists he liked, along with a handful of kids from school and a few meme accounts that Cody had recommended to him. Oh, and one of those totally fake zodiac accounts that repost years-old text posts from tumblr that he'd followed in freshman year, and never got around to unfollowing. A minute or so into his scrolling, the bell above the door jingled again. Trent looked up automatically at the sound, and grinned as he saw who it was. Speak of the devil.

"Cody!" He called. The boy in questioned turned, his face breaking into a matching smile when he saw Trent. He hurried over.

"Hey dude! How's it hanging? What's got you sitting alone in a diner at midnight?" He asked, sliding into the booth across from Trent, who simply shrugged in response.

"Just shit with my dad, mostly. Not a big deal, but I headed out for some fresh air and ended up here. And I could ask the same of you," Trent smiled, leaning his head on his hand. Cody shrugged nonchalantly.

"I was craving pancakes, and you know I can't cook for shit."

Trent laughed. It was true- Cody had an impeccable talent for burning food. "Fair enough."

Just then, Mike came out of the kitchen with Trent's food. He placed it down on the table before turning to Cody with a smile. "Hi! Sorry, I didn't see you come in. Can I get you anything?"

Cody sat up eagerly. "Yeah, could I get the banana chocolate chip pancakes, and, uh... a birthday cake shake?" He asked. Mike nodded.

"Sure thing," He said, starting to head back into the kitchen before Trent stopped him.

"Hold up, let me introduce you guys. Mike, this is my friend Cody. Cody, this is Mike. He just moved in with Manny. He's that nephew she's always talking about."

Cody grinned. "No shit! I love Manny," He stuck out a hand, which Mike shook. Trent noticed that he looked a lot more at ease than he had a few minutes ago. Cody did tend to have that effect on people.

"I do too, but that's kind of a given," He grinned. Cody laughed, and Mike looked pretty proud of himself. Trent found himself smiling inadvertently.

"Well, if you need anyone to show you around town, I'm your guy. I know all the best hangout spots- this being one of them, of course. If you wanted, me and Trent could take you to the rest of them sometime," Cody said. Mike looked a little taken aback at the offer. Trent had to keep himself from grinning too widely at this point. Cody was overly friendly, and Mike seemed a little bit shy, so watching their interaction was amusing and more than a little heartwarming. There were few things Trent liked more than people getting along.

"Really? You guys would do that?" Trent took a sip of his milkshake, which was fantastic as usual, before speaking again.

"Yeah, man, we'd be happy to. We spend pretty much all our time at the same spots anyways, so it's not like we'd be going out of our way or anything. We'd be glad to have you come along," He dug into his pocket for his phone, typing in his password and opening the contacts app before handing it over to Mike. "Here, give me your number and we can make a groupchat."

Mike typed for a moment in before handing it back, and Trent took a second to create the groupchat. "There. Now we can make plans."

"Great! I'll get your food started, Cody," Mike said, waving before heading back into the kitchen. Cody turned to Trent with a grin.

"That guy seems nice!" He said as he rummaged through his pockets. He pulled out his insulin pen and a needle tip, preparing them as he continued to talk. "Where do you think we should take him first? The arcade, maybe? He seems like an arcade kinda guy. I bet he and Sam would get along."

Trent shrugged. "Yeah, that works. It'd be nice to hang out there for a bit anyway, it's been ages since I've been."

Cody brightened. "Have you been since they got the new Mission Impossible game?" Trent shook his head in response. "It's great, it's four player and the cabinet is huge. I've been playing it a ton with Sam and Harold. And Noah, when I can actually convince him to leave the house. But you'd probably like it way more than he does."

"Sure thing," Trent said with a smile as he reached across the table for the malt vinegar, which he poured on his fries. Cody wrinkled his nose in disgust.

"Dude, I have no idea why you do that to your poor fries."

"They taste better this way!" Trent said, feigning offense. This had been a long running debate of theirs, and they'd never been able to settle it. Cody laughed.

"No way. It makes them taste like vinegar."

Trent raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, that's... that's the whole point?"

Cody groaned, exasperated. "No, it's not! Fries are supposed to taste like fries! And vinegar is fucking nasty!"

Trent ate a fry. "Says the guy who drenches his fries in ketchup."

Cody scoffed. "Okay, one, I don't _drench_ anything. Two, ketchup is good! Literally everyone likes ketchup. I have no idea how you don't like ketchup."

"Yeah, yeah, believe whatever you want to believe, man. Ketchup is gross. It's way too sweet. If I wanted sweet fries, I'd get sweet potato fries. Just saying."

Cody rolled his eyes, stealing one of the fries on the edge of the basket that had managed to remain untouched by the vinegar. "Whatever. I know I'm right. Also, sweet potato fries are gross."

Trent grinned, leaning back in his seat. "That's something we can agree on, at least."

That was when Mike came back out of the kitchen with Cody's food. He placed it on the table in front of Cody with a flourish that amused Trent, and started to leave the two to their food before Trent stopped him.

"If you want, you can sit with us," He offered. Mike frowned.

"I don't know if I should. My aunt might get upset."

"Not too much traffic this time of night, though. Plus, you'd be able to get up as soon as someone came through the door. Nobody's going to mind. But if you don't want to, I get it," Trent grinned casually. Mike considered this for a moment, before shrugging and taking a seat next to Trent in the booth.

"Yeah, you're right. Thanks guys, really. You're making me feel really welcome here. It means a lot," He smiled. Cody waved his hand dismissively.

"Of course, dude! Everybody deserves a warm welcome. It's an honor to show you around," He did a mock bow.

Mike laughed at Cody's theatrics. "Still, I owe you one," He paused, noticing Trent's fries. "You put vinegar on your fries too?"

Trent grinned. "Yeah man, do you?"

"Yeah!"

Cody groaned. "Never mind, fuck you both. Vinegar on fries should be criminal."

Mike and Trent glanced at each other before they both burst out laughing, and after a moment, Cody joined in. It was a good night, Trent decided. He was glad he'd decided to take that walk after all.

**Author's Note:**

> alright!! the first installment in my high school au series! that also happens to feature no high school! i'd make this a multichapter fic, except i'm planning on shifting the focus between a pretty large cast of characters, and i feel like that lends itself more to a series of works. i hope u enjoyed, and if you feel like it, i'd love to hear your thoughts!! comments and kudos are always appreciated :)
> 
> also dropping my td tumblr because of course i am, u can find me @courtneyismygirlfriend ;)
> 
> take care!!


End file.
